Today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau; the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs; the Honourable Omar Alghabra, Minister of Transport; and Ralph Goodale, High Commissioner in the United Kingdom, met with family members of victims of the downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752. They reaffirmed the commitment of Canada and the International Coordination and Response Group to hold Iran to account for the senseless deaths of those aboard the flight.
January 8 will mark three years since the downing, as well as the third National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Air Disasters. Canada honours the victims of Flight PS752 and all air disasters and continues to stand in solidarity with their families and loved ones.
Canada and its partners in the Coordination Group-Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom-continue to work together to hold Iran accountable for the downing of Flight PS752 and ensure full reparations are made for the deaths of 176 innocent people. On December 28, 2022 the Coordination Group announced an important step forward in the pursuit of accountability in accordance with international law. We have requested that Iran submit to binding arbitration of the dispute related to the downing of Flight PS752 as specified under the 1971 Montreal Convention.
In addition, Canada is working with its international partners to advance the Safer Skies Initiative, which aims to enhance the level of safety and security for commercial airlines travelling in or near conflict zones, and to address gaps in ICAO's aircraft accident investigation protocols, to ensure that future investigations are conducted in a more credible, transparent and impartial manner.
